1Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a missile of the type which, as viewed in the flying direction from back to front, includes a booster, a folded drag parachute in a parachute housing, a cruise engine and a warhead in succession, whereby the booster is detachable from the drag chute before the parachute drag chute opens, and the drag chute can be separated from the cruise engine before the cruise engine is activated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A missile of this type is disclosed in German Patent Application P 42 10 113.1-15, but there is no discussion therein of the problem of the separation of the various missile elements between firing from the ground position and the active position at the target.
German OS 39 37 762 discloses an artillery projectile having a plurality of munitions payloads, each of which is intended to descend in a target region decelerated by a parachute, whereby the munitions payloads and parachutes are thrust from the stern of a carrier sheath by activating an ignitor after the projectile stern is detached. The parachute of the stern side in the munitions payload unit which is farthest toward the rear as viewed in the flying direction is thereby opened by stretching a ripcord that is firmly joined thereto and to the projectile stern, and decelerates the backmost munitions payload unit relative to the rest of the munitions payload units. When, for example, two munitions payload units are present, a retardation element such as, for example, a centrifugal mass is placed in motion upon the emergence of the munitions payloads from the carrier sheath, this retardation element causing an enable mechanism to release the second parachute after a pre-determined delay time.
German OS 21 44 400 discloses a flare projectile wherein a set of flares as well as a set of delay elements are ignited after the ignition of an ejection charge and a drag chute and a main parachute as well as the set of flares are ejected from a projectile shell at the stern side thereof, so that the drag chute arranged at the stern can freely open in order to somewhat reduce the flight speed of the set of flares. As soon as the set of delay elements ignites a further combustion charge between the set of flares and the main parachute, the gas pressure that thereby builds up drives a pressure plate which releases the connection between the set of flares and the main parachute, so that the weight of the set of flares pulls the main parachute from the packing bag closely surrounding it and the parachute can freely open.
Further, German OS 15 78 193 discloses a flare projectile, wherein combustion gases arising after the firing of an ejector charge accelerate a first shell containing a parachute, a second shell arranged in front of the first shell as seen in the flying direction, and a phosphor. The acceleration is relative to the housing of the flare projectile in the flying direction, whereby the shell of the parachute--by contrast to the shell of the phosphor--cannot emerge from the housing. As soon as the shell of the phosphor leaves the housing, it drags the parachute, whose cords are connected to the base thereof, out of the housing behind it, so that the parachute can freely open in order to serve the purpose of decelerating the phosphor.